Senbazuru
by Mamono
Summary: One-shot It's funny how something as simple as folded paper can lift your spirits when everything seems to be against you.


Author's Notes:

This is a little Anzu/Seto one-shot inspired by something I read in my Anime Companion. Senbazuru means Origami, mainly referring to those little paper cranes. Sometimes they are given to people who are having a bad day or enduring hardship. 

I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, but I do own the story! Enjoy!

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Senbazuru

Written by Mamono

The sound of thunder slowly rolled across the sky sending chills down the spine of Anzu Mazaki. The chocolate-haired girl nervously bit at the end of her silver pencil as she glanced out the window. Little droplets of rain pattered against the glass pane and slid down into the concrete windowsill. "Just perfect," she muttered to herself. "And I forgot my umbrella today."

The low drawl of a lecture hung over the classroom; it drifted into Anzu's ears and out again without much effort. All that was on her mind right now was the nagging question of whether or not she made it onto the dance team this year. The school never before even considered dance as a competitive sport, but after a mysterious donation things changed. If Anzu knew who the kindly donator was she would gladly run up to them and shower them with hugs and kisses. It didn't really matter, she guessed, as long as she could dance. 

Finally the beautiful chime of the bell sounded, signaling the end of class. Anzu leapt from her seat, gave a hasty wave over to her friends, and scrambled out the door. They were going to post the names of the dance team after school and she wanted to be the first to see it. Her excitement got the better of her as she glided around the corner and into another person. A mass of papers flew into the air and slowly drifted down to the floor. Anzu slowly brought her hands to her mouth as she gaped at the being on the floor. 

She had knocked Seto Kaiba off his feet.

A part of her enjoyed seeing that arrogant jerk on the ground; a slight smirk crept onto her face, but was quickly replaced with a nervous grin when the boy narrowed his deep-blue eyes to a deathly level. A flash of lighting only accented the intensity of his features. 

Regaining her senses, Anzu quickly picked up all the papers that had scattered and placed them on the narrow-eyed boy's lap. She mumbled something of an apology and dashed off. Seto watched as she ran down the hall; she bumped into several more people and almost ran herself into an opening door. He raised an eyebrow at her odd behavior and decided to investigate.

Anzu was out of breath when she had finally made it to the school bulletin board. Panting and grinning with excitement, she scanned the list to for her name. Her grin lessened with every name she passed by. Funny, she thought, her name was nowhere to be found. She rechecked the list several times before turning away. "It must be a mistake," she reasoned. "I'll just go check with the P.E. office." She headed back down the hall too worried to notice the navy eyes that watched her.

When she arrived at the Physical Education office, she was greeted by a woman sitting at a large desk, a secretary maybe? The woman smiled and asked her what she needed. "Well," Anzu started. "Do you know who picks which students are on the dance team?" 

The woman smiled, "I do, is there a problem, Miss?" 

"My name is Anzu Mazaki. You might remember me from auditions?" Anzu nervously started. The woman wasn't a secretary then, she was the dance coach. The woman nodded and her smile widened. She said she remembered Anzu quite clearly. She was very talented. "Well, then, I wanted to know why my name wasn't on the list?"

The woman's smile faded, "I'm sorry, dear, but your style of dance isn't exactly what the school is looking for."

"I know all types of dancing!" Anzu argued.

"I'm sure you do, dear, but... " the woman started.

"Are you saying I'm not good enough?" Anzu cried.

"No, not at all. It's just that..." the coach placed a hand on Anzu's trembling shoulder. "It doesn't matter what the reason is. Work at it harder and you're sure to make the team next year."

Anzu tried her best to fight back the tears that wanted burst out of her eyes. She nodded and stepped out of the room, quietly shutting the door behind her. As soon as she heard the door click shut she stopped fighting and let the hot tears of sorrow roll down her cheeks. How could she not be on the team? It was her dream to become a dancer. She had practiced so hard for so long! How could they just stomp on her dream like that? It wasn't fair...

She trudged down the hall and looked up to see Seto Kaiba looking down at her; no emotion traced his features as he looked down at the sobbing girl. The bitter taste of rejection hung Anzu's mouth, making it impossible for her to speak to the boy in front of her. Instead she lowered her eyes and walked past him without a word.

The locker room was empty when Anzu arrived there. She headed over to her locker and slipped off her school shoes, replacing them with her worn out tennis shoes. She had spent endless hours practicing in these shoes, but it seemed fruitless putting them on now. She glanced out the window and frowned; the rain was still falling, harder now than before. She placed her head in her hands and let out a huge sigh. Today was just not her day...

The sound the door clicking shut brought Anzu back to reality. She turned her head and gazed at the door, but nothing was there. She stood up and started for the door but something caught her eye. A small, white paper crane rested next to an umbrella beside her. Picking up the fragile bird, she examined it closely and found the Kaiba Corporation insignia hiding beneath the bird's wing. Anzu let out a small giggle looking at the finely crafted paper crane; it made her feel like things weren't so bad. Smiling, she opened up the umbrella and headed out into the rain.

_"Thank you, Kaiba."_


End file.
